Page 31 of Oh No! There’s an Incubus in my Hot Spring (Getting Cozy with Demons #1)

thirty-one

He’s a Demon, She’s a Witch

H alloween comes faster than I want, but we’re ready. Irene helped me get word out to everyone in town that we would be putting on a very magical show as soon as the sun set. And of course, we would be giving out candy and bath passes.

“Bring the whole family and make sure you’re ready to record the performance of a lifetime!” the fliers and social posts read. And, boy, did it work.

That, combined with the DJ’s live stream clip going viral and Gabe’s special blowing up, means we’ve got a line of cars stretching all the way back into town, and people are starting to park between the trees.

Apollo tucks me against his side as we look out over the city from the top-level balcony. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?”

I nod. “Why, are you worried?”

“Not for myself,” he says. “Humans have generally not responded well to witches in the past.”

“That’s true.” I huff out a laugh and turn to face him. “But we’re in a different age now. Sure, we’ll get some hate mail, but not only will this protect us, it’ll allow you to stop wearing this skin that isn’t yours,” I say, cupping his cheek.

He leans into the touch with a smile. “I don’t care about my appearance, just as long as you keep looking at me like this.”

I push onto my tiptoes and he hugs me close as our lips meet. The kiss is not crazed, or burning with passion, but soft like powdery snow, and full of love. He cradles the back of my head and deepens the kiss with slow, languid strokes of his tongue. I tighten my arms around his neck and groan into him.

He releases me and when I open my eyes, I see the real him. His beauty makes my heart ache. I trace one of his horns, across his forehead to the other, and down his cheek to his lips.

“I take it back,” he murmurs. “I want you to look at me like this. ”

“I don’t think I’ll ever stop being in awe of you.”

“Nor I you,” he says, combing his claws through my hair.

“Oh, and another thing. After this, you can apply for citizenship so you can get that state-issued ID card,” I say with a grin.

He chuckles. “Officer Rosa will be very happy about that.”

The chatter of the growing crowd makes the jittering in my stomach worse, but out of all the gathered masses tonight, there’s really only one person making me nervous. My mother is down there, and she has no idea what we’re about to do. I’m sure I’ll get hell for it later, but a public announcement will prevent her from screaming at me…

I hope.

Most of all, I’m excited. We won’t have to hide anything anymore, and we’ll be safe from the creepazoids in black SUVs that have been following me to the grocery store.

The sun finally gives up at just before six, making it dark enough for the show to begin.

“Are you ready?” I ask.

He kisses me again. “Very.”

I grab the cordless microphone from the table and secure it to Apollo’s pointed ear.

He grabs my pointy witch hat and tugs it over my wavy hair. “Let’s go give them a show.”

I follow him across the bridge between the steaming pools to the edge of the balcony. The crowd below cheers when they see him, and while some probably suspect this is Apollo’s true form, most of them think it’s a costume until the magic on his arms and chest flares to life. The crowd collectively gasps as his snaky blue light dances into the air over the parking lot. I thread my fingers into his and allow my peachy-colored magic to join his out in the sky.

“Long ago, a great entity created many powerful children,” Apollo begins, and our magic takes shape into winged and horned silhouettes. “They were sent to the human realm to explore and learn, bringing back tales of peace and war and all that lies between.”

Apollo wields our colors in the sky like a painter, making each image take shape with ease.

“But what interested the great entity most of all was love. When they were certain their children were prepared for this new world, they sent them out into it with a promise. Each child would be able to find love, but only in one human who was made to be perfect for them. Their mate, a forever companion.

“And so I roamed,” he whispers as our magic takes his shape. Trees appear in peach, and Apollo’s visage walks between them until he encounters a nomadic encampment. “They feared me at first, some even tried to harm me, but I remained patient, and eventually they learned of my gifts.”

A child appears in blue, coughing, their forehead and cheeks a blazing orange. Apollo’s silhouette lays his hands on the child and the fever disappears from their face.

“But none of these humans were my mate, and I had to keep searching.”

The landscape changes and buildings grow around his figure. He walks until a depiction of the hot springs appears.

“Then I came to this place, and to a witch who showed me more kindness than any other human.” Their silhouettes dance and embrace, then kiss. “I thought maybe she could be the one, but I was wrong. No matter how much I wanted it to be her, she wasn’t my mate.”

They break apart and my throat constricts.

“I wasn’t able to return all the love she felt for me, despite caring for her very much. I knew I had to move on and keep searching. The witch begged me to stay until the end of her life—what would thirty more years be to an ageless creature like me?”

He trails off and looks at me, his eyes glistening. “It would’ve been nothing, but I denied her.”

I squeeze his hand. “It’s okay.”

He looks back at the crowd. “In her despair, she tried to bind me to this place. I fought her incantation, but her grief was stronger.”

The silhouette of Elizabeth screams and tendrils of peach wrap around the figure of Apollo, tying his wings back and bringing him to his knees.

“The spell destroyed my body, and in my desperation to survive, I accepted her binding magic, becoming the very mountain we’re standing on now.”

The colorful magic winds through the air and Apollo reaches out for it. The strings dance along his fingers and up his arms until they settle on him, and mine return to me. I allow the peach to remain visible, branding my wrist in a wave-like pattern.

The crowd murmurs restlessly as I suspect many of them are starting to believe the story.

“Here I’ve remained for generations, waiting either for the great entity to call me home or for my mate to rescue me. And five months ago, she did,” Apollo says, looking down at me again.

I smile to hold my tears at bay. “I’m so glad I found you.”

He grabs the back of my neck and leans down, bringing our lips together. The crowd fades away and it’s just my mate’s kiss, his touch, his love. I hold him back, folding deep into the embrace.

He breaks the kiss and stares at me with his icy eyes. “So, here we are. A demon and a witch in love, trying to run a business together.”

I chuckle. “Yeah, that about sums it up.”

I suck in a deep breath and turn toward the edge of the balcony. “And now, candy !”

I grab two big fistfuls of mini chocolate bars and throw them over the edge, using my magic to slow them down and not pelt the children to death. Apollo grabs one of the bags and flares his wings out wide before leaping from the ledge. I use the wind to help push him up and he coasts over the crowd. Some of them scream, and that was expected, but most of them seem delighted.

He throws candy as he flies, flapping his massive wings with a deep whump that makes me jealous for some flight time with him. Some of the audience leaves, but many of them stay, bombarding us with questions. Everyone wants to touch Apollo’s wings and horns to see for themselves if it’s just a really good prosthetic, and though I really don’t want a bunch of grubby hands all over my mate—especially the women who also touch his pecs and biceps—I allow it.

My mom finds me all too soon and I can tell by her wide-eyed frown that she’s about to have a panic attack. I take her into the apartment away from the crowd, letting Apollo, Irene, and Leonard do the ticket giveaway.

“Hija, what…what is this?” she whispers, and I realize that maybe I should’ve told her beforehand. She seems like she’s in shock.

“I’m a witch, and so are you. Your crystals and sage are apparently not hooey.”

She clucks her tongue and smacks my leg. “Of course it’s not, but it’s not witchcraft . Ay Dios mio!”

I’m glad she’s more herself. I should keep pushing her buttons.

“What do you call this, then?” I ask, raising my hand and letting my peachy magic twist off my fingers and dance on the wind.

She stares intently at it, her mouth set into a thin line. “It’s a miracle.”

I want to laugh, but I know that would piss her off.

“You can’t be with a demon !” she says, hitting my leg again.

“What if God wants me to be with him?”

She sputters. “He would never!”

“Have you asked him?”

My mom growls in frustration. “Hija, demons are of hell, of the Devil. There is no reason to ask God if He would ever want one of His children consorting with one. The answer is no.”

“What if the devil didn’t make Apollo? What if it was God?”

Her face scrunches in disgust. “Why would He do that?”

“Isn’t it sort of not our place to question His choices?”

She grunts, her brow furrowed.

“Apollo’s not evil, Mom, and I don’t believe he was made by the Devil.” I don’t believe in the Devil, but I know not to say that. “I love him. He’s been the most perfect partner I could’ve ever asked for, and I am going to be with him.”

Tears glisten in her eyes. “But what if you’re giving up your place in heaven?”

She loves me. She doesn’t want me to go to hell. I get it. But I’d go to hell for Apollo.

“Mama, I gave up that place a long time ago when I took the Lord’s name in vain at age seven.”

She smacks my leg again. “He forgives when you ask for it.”

I grab her hand and hold it gently on my lap. “Then He’ll forgive me for falling in love, won’t He?”

Her bottom lip trembles and a tear slips down her cheek. She nods, closing her eyes.

I pull her into my arms and let her cry for a while. I don’t know how long it’s going to take her to accept him, but I love her, too, and we’ll figure it out.

“I guess there goes my chance at grandbabies,” she mumbles.

I pat her back with a secretive smile. “I’ll give you lots of grandkitties. How about that?”

“ Noooo ,” she wails. “It’s not the same.”

I laugh, using my magic to bring a box of tissues over to us. She gasps and jumps when she sees it hovering there in front of her.

“Miracles,” she says firmly, and tugs out a tissue.

She sits upright and blows her nose.

“What happened to her?” she asks. “The woman in the story who cursed him?”

“She moved into town to start the Silver Mountain Resort and had a child.”

My mom’s shrewd gaze snaps to me and she grabs another tissue. “A child?”

I smirk and nod.

Slowly, a grin spreads over her lips. “A child…”

“Don’t go getting baby crazy on me. I’m not ready.”

“Ay! Not ready?” She puts her hands on her hips. “I had you when I was twenty-six and I wish it would’ve been twenty-two.”

“Women can safely have children into their early forties,” I say.

“Forty! I can’t wait four more years for a grandchild! I’ll be too old to play with her!”

I laugh. “Don’t worry, we’ll make sure you stay nice and spry. Daily soaks and healing sessions.”

“What are you talking about?” she asks.

“Come on.” I stand up and walk toward the side French doors that lead to our little yard.

I open the doors and point to the mother-in-law cabin we built into the side of the mountain. Large flagstones are set into the ground to create a pathway from our apartment to hers, and there’s a wood fence making a yard around them both.

“One bedroom, one bathroom, kitchen, and living room. You’re free to stay there whenever you want.”

“Sylvia,” she whispers, then goes on in a rambling stream of Spanish. “It’s wonderful. You did this for me?”

“No, Apollo did,” I say. “It was even his idea. He wants to have his family close.”

He’d mentioned making her a room in the main apartment and I vetoed that faster than he could blink. But having her close will be nice. Just not so close she can hear the things that he does to me.

“When can I move in?” she asks with a teary-eyed grin.

I hold up another tissue. “Are you ready for five feet of snow?”

She grimaces. “No.”

“Then how about May?”

She giggles. “That sounds nice. Maybe I can rent out my place while I’m here and make some extra money.”

“Now you’re thinking,” I say. “What will you do with the extra money?”

She beams. “Buy my granddaughter everything she wants.”

“What if it’s a grandson?” I ask.

“It’ll be a granddaughter. I can feel it already,” she says, eyes distant as she looks at the cabin.

I put my hand to my lower belly with concern. “You’re not using your witch powers on me, are you?”

She scowls at me. “I am not a witch! Neither are you. We’re blessed.”

“Blessed with magic,” I say.

“Ah!” She throws her hands up and heads toward the door. “You’re making me crazy.”

“That’s nothing new,” I say, following behind her.

She laughs. “That’s the truth.”

My phone rings and I scowl. Who would be calling me? Everyone is here…

“I’ll let you take that,” my mom says, blowing me a kiss before closing the front door.

I pull out my phone and my stomach does a quick clench.

Alexis.

I answer despite myself. “Yes?”

The line is quiet for a second. “Hey. I needed to tell you that I kicked Jason out. I was dumb. I don’t know…I don’t know who I was when I did that to you, but I don’t like that version of me.”

I swallow and let the last of my anger for her go. “So don’t be her.”

She sniffles and her voice breaks. “Yeah. Okay.”

“Do you need me to forgive you?”

“No, it’s not…I just…I don’t know what I need,” she sobs.

“Alexis.”

“Yeah?”

“I forgive you.”

She cries harder. “I don’t deserve it.”

“Well, I don’t care what you think you deserve. My forgiveness isn’t for you, either. It’s for me. I’m done carrying this with me.”

“What do I do now? How can I forgive myself?”

I take a deep breath. “Put yourself first for once.”

“I did that already, didn’t I? So selfish,” she says, her voice loaded with self-loathing.

“Did you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Did you sleep with Jason because you were thinking it was what was best for you? It was going to make you happy, and make your life more secure?”

She’s quiet again for a while, but I hear her sniffling. “No,” she whispers. “I was thinking…he was lonely, and nice to me. The first time I threw up when I got home, but it got easier, even though I felt like trash after, every time.”

I can tell there’s more in her, so I stay silent.

“I thought you’d sell the business and he wouldn’t want me anymore, and that would be okay. That we’d call it off and I’d go find someone else—someone single. Someone who I wouldn’t have to hide with. I’m just so sorry…”

“You did me a favor. I mean, it was a shitty favor, but I’m glad now. I could’ve ended up marrying Jason and never finding the man I love,” I say.

“You’re in love?” she asks, her voice hopeful.

I smile. “I am. The forever kind of love.”

“I’m so happy for you,” she whispers, her breath breaking with emotion.

“You’ll find someone, too. Stop being so cruel to yourself and just try to do better. Move on from this and don’t make it part of yourself.”

She heaves a quiet sob and blows her nose. “Okay. I’ll try.”

“Forgive yourself for these mistakes, and just do better,” I say.

“You make it sound so easy,” she whines, devolving into tears again.

I shake my head. “It isn’t easy. None of this is, but you have to keep trying. This is the only chance you get. Every day is a new opportunity to make your life better. Don’t waste it.”

She takes a steadying breath, and I hear her resolve. “Okay. I won’t.”

“Take care, Alexis,” I say.

“You too, Ms. Azarolla,” she whispers, and the phone disconnects.

I stare down at my phone and sigh. She’s going to be okay.

And so are we.